The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
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Book Reviews of The Importance of Being Earnest
Book Review: The constraints of morality; does absolute confidence really exist???
Summary: 5 Stars
The play's protagonist Jack makes up an imaginary brother called Earnest, who he uses as an excuse to get out of town and do what he likes, but is too embarrassed to admit he likes.
Jack and Algernon are best friends, who amusingly get tangled in the web of being mistaken for Earnest and falling in love with women who are mesmerized by the name Earnest, which as Jack's object of affection Gwendolen puts it: "it inspires absolute confidence".
The ladies, despite their fixation with Earnest's name, accept their loved ones, but will these two men give up the dream of being Earnest, and if they do, will society and other people accept the lie they made up?
As expected, a forcibly happy ending will reveal an unexpected surprise about Jack and the made up character.
If it wasn't Oscar Wilde's play, I would've asked, what are the odds? Given the playful plot and the masked serious topics like deception, double lives, hypocrisy and mainly the nature of marriage, I can accept some deviation from reality.
The importance of being Earnest is a fun read, and a special sarcastic way of dealing with Victorian morals and values as Wilde perceived them. The play absolutely deserves all the attention it got and still gets.
Book Review: An Earnest Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
A quick and entertaining read, Oscar Wilde's comic portrayal of 19th century upper-class intrigue is filled with witty, bantering dialogue. Two friends, Algernon and Jack, perfect the art of "Bunburying," which consists of inventing ill or troublemaking friends and relatives in order to get out of social engagements. Of course, this can only backfire and lead to confusion, particularly as Jack's fictitious brother Ernest shows up unexpectedly at the home of Cecily, Jack's ward and the woman Algernon hopes to marry. As Wilde pokes fun at the upper class and the deceptiveness inherent in its elaborate social protocol, the final irony comes when the hapless deceivers find they may have been inadvertently earnest all along.Book Review: The Importance of Being Earnest
Summary: 5 Stars
This has always been a favorite of mine since I first experienced it in high school. I now use this version in the British Literature Class I teach at that level. It includes a glossary, divided by Act, in the back, too.
I tell my students this is the original sitcom, and they actually have to get out of their chairs and "act it out" as we read. They love the puns and the sniping comments and often tell me after we've read it, that it was their favorite book of the semester.
A laugh out loud book even if not used in the classroom!
Book Review: Farce for the ages
Summary: 5 Stars
I listened to an audio performance of this hilarious farce. Even over a hundred years after its original publication, this tale of mistaken identities and silly social interactions continues to entertain.
Jack Worthing and his irreponsible friend, Algernon, both pretend to be named Earnest as they pursue love with Gwendolen Fairfax and Cecily Cardew.
When the four lovers visit Jack's country home at the same time, the proverbial s**t his the fan. But never fear, a convienient twist resolves matters to everyone's satisfaction.
Book Review: Great version of the Classic Play
Summary: 5 Stars
The Importance of Being Earnest is a fantastic play. It is an easy read, and is not only well thought out, but hilarious.
I liked this book of the play especially, because it includes helpful notes in the beginning, but more because it has a glossary of difficult terms in the back. Every time I came to a word that I did not know, it was sure to be defined in the back.
If you love theatre, this is a great play to read. I would highly suggest this book.